So for the past few days, we’ve lived in an alternate universe….I’m going to expand more about the rules…

We know so far that people are expected to be part of a couple. No one is allowed to have more than one child. There is no help with fertility- anyone unable to conceive a child will be allowed to adopt a child. Anyone who has a multiple birth and chooses to keep all the children will be taxed at a higher rate.

Birthdays will be held once a year- for example- all children who are born between December 1 2019 and November 30 2020 will turn 1 on January 1, 2021. On December 31 there will be one large birthday celebration for everyone.

Upon finishing an apprenticeship (age 25) all individuals will be given a job in their field. All jobs are for life- they will remain with the company for 50 years until retirement at 75. Employees will be referred to as Year One, Year Two etc. All will get promoted at the same time to the next level. They will receive a 1% raise every year.

All workers, no matter what the job, will receive the exact same salary. The person collecting litter off the street who works eight hours a day will earn the same amount as a neurosurgeon working fifteen hours a day. All jobs are equally important, and should be valued as such. Any job that can be automated will be automated.

At 25 all  people are given a house- couples getting housed first. Each house is 1000 square feet, two bedrooms, 1 1/2 bathrooms, living room, kitchen, dining room. Each house has a small terrace in the back. Units are one story only so that anyone with a disability could live anywhere. No additions are allowed to be made. Exterior paint color will be one of five shades. Landscaping must be uniform to the neighborhood. All houses are expected to be maintained properly. Those who don’t comply will be taxed.

There is one outlet to purchase home furnishings, and there are only five styles of couches, chairs, dining sets and beds available. Every household is expected to replenish their belongings every five years.

Clothing options are similar. There are five styles of pants, dresses, shirts and coats. All clothing is unisex. There are no physical stores for clothes. All purchases are made online and are shipped to you. As there are few options, you know exactly what you are getting.

Having been assigned hobbies/extras in third grade, it is expected that you keep up with these things. Any equipment used for these activities must be replaced every five years.

Healthcare is paid for. In exchange, you are expected to exercise five days a week for an hour a day. Each community is equipped with a gym and various things such as tennis courts and ping pong tables. You are expected to be within five pounds of the accepted weight, and if you are not, you will be taxed.

Smoking, drinking and non prescription drug use are highly monitored. Anyone who abuses these privilege’s will be taxed.

There are no cars or motorized vehicles for personal use. There is an effective bus system and everyone has bicycles.

Each community will have a butcher, fishmonger, produce person and bakery. Food will be locally sourced and not travel more than 100 miles to a destination. There are no canned or frozen foods, or anything processed. Sugary snacks are only available on Sundays at the bakery. You are allowed to bake your own things. There are no concessions for dietary restrictions, as in, bread is full of gluten. If you can’t eat something you are meant to abstain.

All healthcare is paid for. If you become seriously ill, a decision is made as to whether or not you will be treated. Much of this will be based on age and how much your particular skill is needed. if you have something that is caused by a lifestyle choice you will not be treated.

Family tax rate is 40% of salary. 10% of salary goes towards your residence. Single tax rate is 80% with 15% goings towards residence. If you are taxed for any other infraction it will be 5%.

All residents are required to carry a phone/monitoring device. Individual locations are tracked at all times, as well as what you were doing and who you were with. Accountability is everything.

All citizens must have DNA and fingerprints on file.

Is there anything to be gained from a society such as this?

77 thoughts on “Dystopia- Daily Life”

  1. Ummmm… NO!
    Gotta say, I would have gone underground a long time ago, or seriously considered some black market fentanyl and quietly removed myself from this hell.

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      1. Yes. My middle daughter chooses to manage a small bar. Not much for amenities, can’t say there is total job security either. She’s been offered better things but doesn’t take them. But she is the happiest person I know, loves her job, a very free spirit and a good person. I don’t understand it, definitely not my norm. As a matter of fact it drives me absolutely crazy because she could do so much more but she has the freedom of choice and she picks happiness over job security & job amenities. I truly think a perfect job with the guarantee could fall in her lap and she still would stay where she’s at. I guess my point is who are we to say what is normal or right for everyone. Equal ness doesn’t equate happiness.

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      2. Totally agree. Yet many people speculate about fairness and equality. I thought I’d show that perspective. Every gets exactly the same thing. Everyone contributes equally to society. There is no envy or want or people treated fairly or not. Everyone is held accountable for being a part of society. But it is dystopia….so we can play around

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  6. I don’t think some people realize exactly the degree of control that would be required by a centralized power to create and maintain a system of perceived “equality/equity.” Just imagine how much control it would take to put the rules you outlined into place. No thanks.

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      1. I don’t think so. I don’t see how true equality/fairness can ever even be achieved. There will always be something that creeps up that some will then claim is an unfairness. What about intelligence? Some people naturally have a more inquisitive and philosophical approach to their thinking. Other’s have more concrete/mechanical approach, etc. What happens when people start perceiving one way as being oppressive to the other? How do we balance something like that out? Appearance, height, weight, all those things. People seem to be more focused on material and financial objectives right now, but I don’t believe it would stop there. There seems to be something in human nature that causes us to take things too far. With freedom, there comes inherent risks. I don’t want people to suffer, go hungry, etc. but I also don’t trust government or corporations to solve these problems for us.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. I agree with everything you’re saying. But I often think people throw out words without acknowledging the true power of those words. Hence, why I went dystopian this week. I just want people to give thought to what they say and what they want. I obviously went to an extreme, but it was more fun that way

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      3. For sure. But I don’t think your scenarios are all that extreme. The situations you presented, in my mind, are simply downstream from where some people want to launch the boat. And you’re right, many people aren’t critically thinking through what they are saying. I may never comment on your posts, but I do enjoy your thought experiments.

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  7. I live in Canada, where health care is free.
    I do believe that people should be required to exercise , as they are able to, and maintain a healthy weight in order to maintain this privilege.

    Many diseases ( but of course not all), are the result of people not having maintained their health properly.

    This is extremely frustrating for physicians to deal with.

    Thanks again for giving us something very interesting to ponder ! 🤗🌷

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      1. Hi ! I so agree ! The best patients are those who realize that they are in a partnership with their physicians. The body is amazingly resilient, if we respect it and care for it. 🌷🤗

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  10. Wow! Harsh! There were good points and not-so-good points in your other 2 ‘episodes’, but this one is a robot society. I don’t see the need for taxes. Just pay everyone the same (enough to feed and clothe) and the government makes anyone outside the rules ‘disappear’. This is more and more “Twilight Zone” and 1984 but taken to a farther extreme (if that’s possible). And imagine what a boring life everyone would have. What happens with an accident? If birth control is unavailable, do ALL next babies go up for adoption? You only make what you make, so you’d never be able to support a family of, say, five. What about babies not born 100% ‘normal’. Who decides what happens to it? Again, the government has no real interest in the people, just compliance, so I think there would more than likely be ‘secret holding cells’, gulags or death squads that the masses wouldn’t know about, but perhaps hear rumors of in order to keep everyone in line.

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    1. Taxes pay for the housing, salaries, education , pension and healthcare. Without taxes you couldn’t pay for all the things that would be free…some people will require more care than others, but everyone pays equally for the care of their neighbors.There’s no unemployment, no homelessness, no one is hungry, everyone has an education till 25, everyone is exposed to the arts and athletics, and there’s no crime. Every single person is useful to the greater good and held accountable. Every single thing would be equal and fair. Based on your three outside characteristics you would have hobbies. There would be pro sports teams to watch, concerts and theater and movies, golf courses and skating rinks and rafting. But I totally get what you’re saying….I’m going to play with this tomorrow some more…

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      1. My thinking of no taxes would take into effect that there’s a flat income/family and all the rest of the money would be the governments to spend on the ‘free’ housing, education, medicine, etc. They’re getting it back in the long run, so why not just keep it in the first place? And it takes longer to ‘educate’ someone to be a neurosurgeon than it does to become a laborer, albeit a well educated one. Can someone quit school before 25 and just go to work as whatever they’re suited for (which we know has been decided in the third grade)?

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      2. No. Everyone gets the exact same apprenticeship so that all things are fair and equal. Admittedly the first five – ten years, 25-35, would be still hands on practice for doctors and others who require much schooling, but there pay rate would be the same as every other person their age

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  12. I can see you have a lot of time on your hands. Who exactly is making these “rules” and how did they come to have this power? When they turn 75 are they retired from their position and are they following the same “rules” as everyone else?

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    1. It’s a collective society to get rid of the basic problems we face, while making everyone equal and accountable. You get rid of unemployment, poverty, homelessness, hunger, crime and envy issues. Everyone is educated and productive. Everyone has healthcare. I’m just thinking out loud

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      2. There were three other authors and for the life of me I can’t remember who, I think RL Stein maybe….it was really cool. I’m going to have to ask my daughter or hunt through her autographed books….

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      1. It’s an interesting conundrum. It worked in China, where people were brought up to value conformity and community. Here in the US, individualism is prized above community – hence the problems with mask-wearing. China made people conform. I don’t think it could ever happen here, although perhaps we could encourage people adopt the Golden Rule, at least…

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  15. Hmm very George Orwell 1984, not for everyone lol but for someone who’s introvert and a loner who’s happy to fit in to a conformist utopia and blend with the surroundings I’m in!!! No seriously I can’t see the same wage whether you’re a road sweeper (I’ve great respect for sweepers btw) or neurosurgeons going down to well with the FRCS…….. HOWEVER one child per family should be the law as of now! Population growth is the biggest threat to the planet’s survival, any other mammal reproducing at these alarming rates and we’d call it an ‘infestation’……….. which it IS!!!!

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    2. I’m with you on population…that was one of the catalysts for this whole utopian experiment. My original thought was…how does we curb unemployment…which led to make it so a household is only allowed to employ one person….and so on…

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  16. Extremes in any form are generally not good, but, and I say this half seriously, if people can’t control themselves and exercise some personal and community responsibility, then what is appropriate?

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    1. Well, that’s me. I think as a whole the greatest problem we face is overpopulation. There’s just not enough space or resources. And with tech, more jobs will be eliminated, so we are faced with a world of growing population and less of everything else….

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      1. yeah but I find it disheartening if say someone gave birth to twins or triplet’s, to have to sacrifice two or three other potential people. Sorry that to me is wrong. But I guess someone can argue that in regards to abortion, and yet I have always been pro choice.

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      2. If twins happen naturally, that’s fine. In dystopiaville natural multiple births would be allowed. But I totally get what you mean

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  18. Oh god no, hand me the pill bottle now, this world of yours is a mix of The handmaids tale, Brave new world, Logan’s run and 1984. Tell me what is the suicide rate in your world?

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      1. People running a muck is not my idea of perfect 🤨 That said I read this post out to hubby and he said we weren’t far off that now any, he can be such a little ray of sun shine sometimes 😉

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